12 2 STA T . 2 634PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 8 6 —J UL Y 2 9, 2008 inBurmab u to n ly3pe r c ent o f t h e rubie s enterin g the U nite dS tates are claimed to be of Burmese origin .T he v alue of Bur - mese gemstones is predominantly based on their original q uality and geological origin , rather than the labor involved in cutting and polishing the gemstones. (9)A ccording to hard w ood industry e x perts, Burma is home to approximately 60 percent of the world ’ s native tea k reserves. M ore than 1⁄4 of the world’s internationally traded teak origi- nates from Burma, and hardwood sales, mainly of teak, rep- resent more than 1 1 percent of Burma’s official foreign exchange earnings. (10) The S PDC owns a ma j ority stake in virtually all enter- prises responsible for the extraction and trade of Burmese natural resources, including all mining operations, the Myanmar Timber E nterprise, the Myanmar G ems Enterprise, the Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, and the Myanmar O il and Gas Enterprise. V irtually all profits from these enterprises enrich the SPDC. (11) On October 11, 2 00 7 , the United N ations Security Council, with the consent of the People’s R epublic of China, issued a statement condemning the violence in Burma, urging the release of all political prisoners, and calling on the SPDC to enter into a United Nations-mediated dialogue with its polit- ical opposition. (12) The United Nations special envoy I brahim Gambari traveled to Burma from September 29, 2007, through October 2, 2007, holding meetings with SPDC leader General Than Shwe and democracy advocate Aung San Suu K yi in an effort to promote dialogue between the SPDC and democracy advo- cates. (13) The leaders of the SPDC will have a greater incentive to cooperate with diplomatic efforts by the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the People’s Republic of China if they come under targeted economic pres- sure that denies them access to personal wealth and sources of revenue. (1 4 )OnthenightofMay2,200 8 , through the morning of May 3, 2008, tropical cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Burma, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Burmese. (1 5 ) The response to the cyclone by Burma’s military leaders illustrates their fundamental lack of concern for the welfare of the Burmese people. The regime did little to warn citi z ens of the cyclone, did not provide adequate humanitarian assistance to address basic needs and prevent loss of life, and continues to fail to provide life-protecting and life-sustaining services to its people. (16) The international community responded immediately to the cyclone and attempted to provide humanitarian assist- ance. More than 30 disaster assessment teams from 18 different nations and the United Nations arrived in the region, but the Burmese regime denied them permission to enter the country. Eventually visas were granted to aid workers, but the regime continues to severely limit their ability to provide assistance in the affected areas. (17) Despite the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, the junta went ahead with its referendum on a constitution drafted by an illegitimate assembly, conducting voting in IbrahimG ambari .T ha nS h we .
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